Cross-training pants: one pair for lifting, running and stretching

A mixed workout is hard on trousers. In one hour you might squat with a bar, run, jump onto a box, climb a rope and finish with stretching. Running tights are too thin for the rope and the box. Joggers sag, hold sweat and catch on the bar. Heavy training trousers are too hot for the run. Cross-training pants are the compromise, and a good pair is worth it if you train like this more than once a week.

What makes a pair “cross-training”

There’s no official definition; it’s a label. But the pairs that deserve it have a few things in common.

Fabric that stretches and survives

The fabric has to stretch for squats and lunges, recover so the knees don’t bag, and survive friction from bars, boxes and ropes. Look for:

• A synthetic base with elastane: nylon or polyester with a good amount of stretch. Nylon is generally the more abrasion-resistant; polyester dries a little faster.
• A tight, dense knit or weave. Hold it up to the light. A fabric you can see through will wear through quickly on a box or a rope.
• Sweat handling. Synthetics move sweat to the surface, where it can dry. Cotton-heavy joggers soak it up and get heavy.

A cut that moves

• A gusseted crotch, a diamond-shaped panel where the leg seams meet. It lets you squat deeply without pulling the seam tight, and it’s what stops a crotch seam splitting mid-lunge.
• Articulated knees, with seams or darts shaped around the knee so the fabric bends where you do.
• A tapered leg that narrows towards the ankle, so it doesn’t catch on the bar on the way up, get caught in a rower or bunch over your shoes.

Strength where the wear happens

• Reinforced shins and knees, or a tougher fabric there, if you do rope climbs or box jumps.
• Flat seams that don’t rub on longer runs.
• Ventilation, such as mesh behind the knee or a lighter fabric at the back of the leg, for hot days.

Fit: snug, not tight

Cross-training pants sit between leggings and joggers: close enough not to snag or flap, loose enough not to restrict a deep squat.

Do the movements in the changing room. A deep squat, a lunge, high knees, a forward fold. Then check:

• Nothing pulls across the thighs or the seat when you squat.
• Nothing turns sheer at the seat or knees when the fabric stretches. Look in a mirror, in good light.
• The waistband stays put when you jump. A drawcord or a wide, firm band helps.
• The hem clears your trainers. Trousers that bunch at the ankle are a trip hazard on box jumps.

Pockets

You need fewer than you think. A zipped pocket for a key or a card, and a phone pocket that doesn’t bounce when you run, are plenty. Open pockets empty themselves when you hang from a bar or lie on a mat, so choose zips or deep, angled pockets.

Shorts or long pants?

Plenty of people train in shorts, and in a hot gym they’re more comfortable. Long pants earn their place for rope climbs, where the rope burns bare shins; for box jumps, where scraped shins are common; for outdoor sessions in the cold; and for anyone who simply prefers to be covered. Some people wear shorts over leggings and get both.

Buying fewer, better pairs

Cheap training pants tend to fail in the same places: the crotch seam splits, the inner thigh pills, the knees bag or the waistband stretches out. Before you buy, look at the stitching at the crotch and the pocket corners, stretch the fabric to see how quickly it springs back, and rub the inner thighs together to see whether the surface roughens.

Care

Wash after every session; synthetic fabrics hold on to sweat smells if they’re left in a gym bag. Turn them inside out, wash cool and leave out the fabric softener, which coats the fibres and stops them moving sweat. Hang them to dry. Heat damages elastane, so keep them away from a hot dryer.